Former Cuban Minister of Labor and Social Security Erased from X Amid Controversy

In a startling development, Marta Elena Feitó Cabrera, the former Cuban Minister of Labor and Social Security, has been effectively erased from the public eye on X. All content she posted since taking office has vanished, signaling a clear attempt to erase her digital footprint following the uproar over her recent comments denying homelessness in Cuba.

Simultaneously, the official account of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security (MTSS) remains conspicuously silent on the contentious issue. There is no mention of the political crisis stirred by their former minister or her abrupt departure. Instead, it continues to post routine messages about employment matters, seemingly unfazed by the controversy.

The Aftermath of Controversial Statements

Feitó's digital disappearance follows her forced resignation, submitted hours after she claimed in the National Assembly that beggars do not exist in Cuba. She asserted that those begging, washing windshields, or scavenging do so "by choice," preferring "an easy life." To her, these individuals are "disguised as beggars" and "illegal self-employed workers."

Her remarks not only trivialized the visible poverty across the country but also criminalized indigence, sparking outrage both domestically and internationally. Artists, intellectuals, activists, and ordinary citizens condemned the institutional disdain for the most vulnerable. Even Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz had to address the crisis in Parliament.

Government's Damage Control

Marrero stated that Feitó acknowledged her "mistake" in an internal meeting and requested to be relieved from her duties because she "did not feel capable" of continuing. He tried to soften her departure by praising her "courage" and "hard work" but distanced himself by saying, "What the comrade proposed does not align with government policy."

This gesture was widely seen as damage control, aimed more at preserving the regime's image than taking responsibility for a statement that, despite official repudiation, mirrors an institutional mindset that criminalizes poverty and ignores its structural roots.

International and Domestic Repercussions

The head of state, Miguel Díaz-Canel, also reacted ambiguously, avoiding mentioning Feitó by name while stating that "none of us can act arrogantly, disconnected from the realities our people live." His words, far from assuaging the indignation, were interpreted as a calculated attempt to distance himself.

Meanwhile, the MTSS continues its technical postings, ignoring the scandal. Just hours before her downfall, Feitó posted on X about protecting vulnerable populations and the importance of popular control. That post, too, was deleted as part of the digital sweep erasing her ministerial tenure.

The controversy has also attracted international media attention. Outlets like BBC, El País, CNN, Al Jazeera, France 24, and Deutsche Welle have covered the scandal, criticizing the Cuban government's cynicism and its leaders' disconnect from social realities. El Mundo sarcastically remarked that beggars in Cuba are "street actors, according to the minister." CNN noted that Feitó's words angered both opponents and supporters of the regime.

The Broader Context of Economic Crisis

These events expose the facade of "social protection" that the Cuban government attempts to maintain in front of a population enduring one of its worst economic crises: rampant inflation, food and medicine shortages, unemployment, and widespread poverty. According to the Cuban Observatory for Human Rights, 89% of households live in extreme poverty, and Feitó herself admitted in February that over 1,200 communities are in dire conditions.

Adding to the regime's woes, Feitó's own son, Alejandro Fernández Feitó, publicly broke ties with the government from Miami, where he resides after emigrating in 2024 under the humanitarian parole program. He told Martí Noticias that he does not share the regime's ideology: "My political vision is entirely opposed," he said. "I cannot be held accountable for what she says or is told to say."

The fall of Marta Elena Feitó Cabrera highlights the hypocrisy of a system that purports to ensure social justice but crushes the vulnerable and denies poverty with arrogance. Erasing her from X doesn't erase the problem; it only confirms that the Cuban government prefers to look away rather than face its people.